our favourite 5 roast cha siew sins..

Text and images by Tiantianchi @ Makansutra Char siew or caramelised roast pork, is one of the three pillars in Cantonese roaster stalls, alongside roast duck and roast pork (siew yoke). All three require masterful skills to achieve a certain level of perfection. The tenderloin is the most popular and best cut used, but there is so little of it in a pig. So, they were skewered together with the other cuts during roasting to supplement that craze. It became a dish of its own, and as it evolved, the choice of cut of preference became fatter due to a desire for a juicier, more sinful mouth feel. The test of a good roaster still lies in how well he marinates and roasts the meat. This was one reason why a roaster had the confidence to demand S$3 million for her recipe. Whether she deserves that amount or not, is subjective, but our love for Cantonese roast, is not. There are, m...